R 90 - Best Sand paper to use

[donwon]

I am trying to figure out which is the best sand paper to buy for the RO 90.

Most of the work I do is sanding wood that has been through a planer already.  Could be soft or hardwood.

What is everyone using commonly for the RO 90?

 

[Scott B.]

I prefer Granat because it is competent in the most situations, in my opinion. The mileage on it is unbelievable. We have been running it head to head against Brilliant 2 lately in a bunch of situations, and Granat beats it my more than 3 to 1 across the board.

 

[donwon]

When starting off, do people tend to buy the systainer mix pack ? http://www.leevalley.com/en/Festool/page.aspx?p=69490&cat=5,105,68343

Seems like a large cash hog to buy the individual ones first.

 

[Scott B.]

When starting off, do people tend to buy the systainer mix pack ?  Seems like a large cash hog to buy the individual ones first.

Don,

Not sure which mix pack you are referring to. I know some dealers do different things on abrasive options. But for me, I purchase abrasives from my local dealer and for the RO90, the most common grits we use on it are 60, 80 and 100 in the round. You might be able to get by with just 80 and 120 or something at first. In the delta, we pretty much only run 80/100. It really depends on the type of sanding you are going to be doing the most. That is why I like buying Granat, from a bang for buck standpoint, I know it delivers.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I agree with Scott that Granat is a good all-round paper. Brilliant 2 is too. Unlike Scott I've never seen a clear difference between the two in performance and longevity. Maybe it's because we use different paints over here.

But for clear wood Rubin is still my prefered type of paper. It has a faster cut and leaves wood with a nicer surface and color. Downside is it dulls pretty fast which makes it more expensive to use. Maybe the newly released Rubin 2 performs better in that area, but I can't comment on that as I haven't used it yet because I still have plenty of Rubin 1 in stock.

 

[Kev]

I agree with Scott that Granat is a good all-round paper. Brilliant 2 is too. Unlike Scott I've never seen a clear difference between the two in performance and longevity. Maybe it's because we use different paints over here.

But for clear wood Rubin is still my prefered type of paper. It has a faster cut and leaves wood with a nicer surface and color. Downside is it dulls pretty fast which makes it more expensive to use. Maybe the newly released Rubin 2 performs better in that area, but I can't comment on that as I haven't used it yet because I still have plenty of Rubin 1 in stock.

Alex is right - if it's only bare timber, Rubin 2 is the ideal option. For multi-purpose applications ... Granat all the way!

I've gone "wide and deep" on Granat for all of my Festool sanders - then I only buy other types of Festool abrasives for specific purposes (e.g.; Saphir for the RAS in low grits)

 

[Scott B.]

I agree with Scott that Granat is a good all-round paper. Brilliant 2 is too. Unlike Scott I've never seen a clear difference between the two in performance and longevity. Maybe it's because we use different paints over here.

But for clear wood Rubin is still my prefered type of paper. It has a faster cut and leaves wood with a nicer surface and color. Downside is it dulls pretty fast which makes it more expensive to use. Maybe the newly released Rubin 2 performs better in that area, but I can't comment on that as I haven't used it yet because I still have plenty of Rubin 1 in stock.

Alex is right - if it's only bare timber, Rubin 2 is the ideal option. For multi-purpose applications ... Granat all the way!

I've gone "wide and deep" on Granat for all of my Festool sanders - then I only buy other types of Festool abrasives for specific purposes (e.g.; Saphir for the RAS in low grits)

I agree with Alex and Kev.  [big grin]

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Scott,

Have you compared Granat to Rubin 2 per chance?  I agree that Granat is tough to beat, but I am curious how Rubin 2 stacks up.

Scot

 

[mouppe]

I need to restock on 100 grit paper- can anyone comment on whether granat or rubin 2 would be best for bare wood? I would be using a rotex 125 most of the time.

 

[Sparktrician]

I prefer Granat because it is competent in the most situations, in my opinion. The mileage on it is unbelievable. We have been running it head to head against Brilliant 2 lately in a bunch of situations, and Granat beats it my more than 3 to 1 across the board.

I use Granat for everything up to P320, then switch over to Platin from 500 to 4000 for buffing out polycarbonate headlights and solid surface countertops, and finally 5000 (liquid) with a hard felt pad and 8000 (also liquid) with a soft felt pad to really bring out a gloss when it's called for.